# Determining the Contribution of Striatal Patches and Dopamine to Habit Formation

> **NIH NIH R15** · OBERLIN COLLEGE · 2020 · $396,069

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Habits are inflexible and automated behaviors that can be advantageous by freeing cognitive resources.
However, brain circuits subserving habits are overactive in disease states including drug addiction, Obsessive
Compulsive Disorder, and Tourette's syndrome. A key brain region in behavioral selection is the striatum,
which receives inputs from midbrain dopamine neurons. Striatum is often divided into a medial and lateral
portion, and disruption of lateral striatum or lateral dopamine inputs interferes with habit formation, while
disruption of medial striatum promotes habit. Additionally, lateral striatum dopamine release only emerges late
in learning, when habitual behaviors arise, suggesting that lateral striatum dopamine release is a key
mechanism in habit formation. However, no studies have investigated a causative link between medial or
lateral dopamine release and habit formation. In addition to this medial/lateral divide, striatum has
neuroanatomically distinct `patches', which make up ~15% of striatum and which provide the only direct,
inhibitory output from striatum to dopamine neurons. Previous work suggests patches are active during
repetitive behaviors and that modifying patch activity alters decision making. Thus, patches may play a role in
the transition from flexible to habitual behaviors, though no studies have investigated this possibility. Therefore,
this proposal aims to determine 1. if activating lateral striatum dopamine inputs is sufficient to establish habitual
responding 2. if striatal patches are necessary for habit formation and 3. the activity of striatal patch and
dopamine neurons during habit formation. This work will yield crucial insights into striatal subcircuits driving
habitual behaviors and may yield new therapeutic targets for remediating diseases characterized by
maladaptive habits. Further, these projects will provide an opportunity to train the next generation of Oberlin
College undergraduate researchers to use cutting-edge neuroscience techniques, to analyze and present
behavioral and physiological data to their peers, and to navigate experimental design and the scientific
process. By providing training opportunities in optogenetics, viral approaches, fiber photometry, and behavioral
assays, this proposal will facilitate the education of Oberlin College researchers and enhance to the research
environment at Oberlin College.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9954360
- **Project number:** 1R15MH122729-01
- **Recipient organization:** OBERLIN COLLEGE
- **Principal Investigator:** CHRISTOPHER D HOWARD
- **Activity code:** R15 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $396,069
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-02-01 → 2024-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9954360

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9954360, Determining the Contribution of Striatal Patches and Dopamine to Habit Formation (1R15MH122729-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9954360. Licensed CC0.

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